The government is examining the introduction of cable car facilities at Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) as part of a wider package to upgrade tourism infrastructure, after a Tourism Task Force meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (April 28).
The session was chaired by Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath. According to Newswire, longstanding requests for a Sri Pada cable car system were tabled, with Kikiliyamana and Ella also identified as candidate sites. Officials reviewed the next steps — feasibility studies, preliminary approvals, and implementation reports.
The meeting also reviewed plans to introduce a visa-free facility for citizens of 40 countries from May 25, an expansion designed to lift arrivals during the upcoming season. Progress on improving sanitation in 19 national parks, including Yala, was discussed; a private operator has taken over maintenance responsibilities at the parks.
Plans for a dedicated tourist zone along the coastal stretch from Kollupitiya were also on the agenda, with officials projecting it could draw 2,000 to 3,000 visitors at a time.
The cable car initiative is the most prominent infrastructure proposal yet from the new ministry’s tourism agenda. Adam’s Peak, climbed by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and trekkers each season, has historically been served only by foot trails. The May 25 visa-free expansion adds to the existing list of countries already covered under the current arrivals regime. Sri Lanka’s cumulative tourist arrivals have crossed 800,000 but the pace of growth slowed 27 percent below year-earlier levels, giving the ministry added urgency to lift demand through infrastructure and access reforms.
